Hence, it was a pleasant surprise for me when this young woman took the initiative of starting a dialogue with a complete stranger.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Well, I am from Chandigarh. I have come along with the Indian Sikh jatha," I replied, casually.

‘I am also from Chandigarh," she said calmly.

"What did you say? Chandigarh? Which sector are you from?

I was astonished beyond belief that far away in a distant land, or seen as a hostile neighbour, I would meet a girl from Chandigarh.

Now this was Sonia from Bapu Dham Colony of Sector 26 in Chandigarh. Her parents and grandparents still lived in the same colony. She was married to Johair Lal, who belonged to Jhang Battar, Fatehjang tehsil, Attock district, Pakistan. Jhang is 45 minutes from Panja Sahib, which is visited by Sikhs from all over the world. There were only three Sikh families living on the gurdwara premises. Outside the premises, there were five other Sikh families in Hassan Abdal which have kept their culture and heritage alive in an alien land. Against this, there was not a single Hindu family in Hassan Abdal. There were, however, five Hindu families in Jhang and that was exactly where Sonia was living, and that too happily married.

Her husband Johair Lal along with his elder brother Kasturi Lal owned Ray Jewellery House in the main bazaar of Hassan Abdul. It was a well-maintained shop even by Indian standards. But since Hassan Abdal is a town and is mostly inhibited by lower middle class of society, I presumed the shop would not be attracting many customers except those coming to do shopping for marriages. During the one hour I spent in the shop, there was not a single woman customer. Otherwise too, Muslim women do not seem to have a craze for gold. Nonetheless, family business continues for Sonia’s family.

But how did she marry a man from Jhang? Sonia said their parents knew each other even before Partition and they (her in laws) had been visiting their relatives in India. Five years ago, they visited Chandigarh and put a proposal before my parents, who agreed. I did as I was bid, no regrets. That was all. I married Johair Lal at a gurdwara in Chandigarh five years ago. "I have two children, one a son, Deepak, who is two years old, and a daughter, Aishwarya, who is four, and is named after the top Indian actress.

"As a Hindu in Pakistan, I face no problems. My husband and his family love me, yes, but I yearn to see my parents, who does not? But there are diplomatic barriers. My father has visited me twice but my mother has not. So I talk to them on phone, whenever it is convenient," Sonia said unhesitatingly.

Back in Chandigarh from my official assignment, I visited the house of her grandparents as directed by Sonia. Hardit Singh was overwhelmed when it was disclosed that I had met Sonia during my recent visit to Pakistan. Soon, all family members surrounded me to listen to the details I carried for them from far away. A quick message was sent to Sonia’s mother, who rushed to meet me. For the first 30 minutes, she remained dumb, with eyes moist, and battling to hold back her tears. While I was giving Sonia’s message, her father arrived and appeared grateful for having conveyed the well-being of his daughter.

He told me that Sonia’s in-laws were known to them and had many times visited India. Also since there were not many Hindu families in Pakistan, it was difficult to arrange marriages within the community. Therefore, during one such visit, they put forward a proposal for my daughter, which I accepted. Sonia nodded acceptance.

"We do not regret the decision as our daughter is happy, so what if only in Pakistan?" her father said to me, matter-of-factly.